


It's a Long Way Down to Mississippi

by mira (stellamira)



Category: NSYNC, Pop Music RPF, Popslash
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-12-22
Updated: 2003-12-22
Packaged: 2019-10-20 00:18:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17611835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellamira/pseuds/mira
Summary: JC and Joey go on a road trip.





	It's a Long Way Down to Mississippi

A not so well-known fact about their tour life was, that at one point, JC and Joey had shared the two-man bus. It had been only for a week, after Joey and Lance had broken up, Lance packing Dirk and some clothes and leaving Joey to lick his wounds in private.

Chris and Justin weren't so keen on switching over, as Joey tended to get broody when he had broken up with somebody (that somebody usually being Kelly), which would spoil Chris' mood, too, and Justin would get miserable just out of sympathy. JC, though, didn't have a problem with Joey's moods and, after overhearing Joey's and Lance's last fight, simply carried his stuff over to the other bus in the morning. That night, some shouts and a lot of tears had leaked through the walls between JC's and Lance's hotel room. What Joey needed now was to be mothered, and JC, if anything, could do that.

He got up early to make coffee, waiting until the smell pulled Joey from his bunk, like a zombie stumbling after dead meat; only without the raised arms. He picked up all of Joey's dirty shirts and socks to give them to laundry, and he cleaned the bathroom, which suffered from a serious lack of Justin, who made them clean their own bathroom once a week.

Once, Joey grabbed his arm while JC was fluffing out Joey's pillow, new clean sheets on the bed. "Hey, look. You don't have to do this, C."

"What? Yeah, sure. But I want to do it."

Joey let go of his arm, nodding. "Okay, just. I feel like I'm using you here."

"You're not using me, Joey." JC smiled. "I don't mind."

"Okay," Joey said again. "But if you ever need anything-"

"It's okay, Joey, really." JC arranged the pillow neatly on the bed and moved to his own bunk which was actually Lance's. "You don't have to do anything for me." And Joey didn't. JC didn't want Joey to do something for him. All he needed was Joey's warm, grateful smile as thanks.

But the best thing about riding with Joey, JC decided, was the long afternoons, traveling from city to city, when they curled up on the couch together. Joey would read him passages from a new book Joey had just bought, JC would show Joey his newest lyrics, or they would just watch a movie, huddled under the same blanket. And JC sang for Joey. He went through Billy Joel and Bob Dylan, every soft song he could remember, to sing Joey to sleep while Joey's head was lying in JC's lap. Joey seemed to sleep more than JC in that time.

They kept the feeling of domesticity up for a week; then, on a Saturday, Joey and Lance announced that they were over each other. It hadn't been a long relationship anyway, only two months.

JC moved back to his own bus, to Chris and Justin taking him in happily, insisting that Dirk had stunk up the place. Everything went back to normal.

Except JC.

***

 

**6:42 am**

 

"JC? JC, wake up."

"Mmm?"

"C'mon, we're leaving," Joey said, gently lifting the blanket from JC's face. JC moaned. Joey was too early. JC's alarm clock hadn't even gone off yet.

"Weren't you s'pposed to get Justin first?" JC muttered, slowly blinking his eyes open. The lashes seemed to stick together.

"Yeah, but he called me. Chris is sick. Justin's staying with him. They're following tomorrow, by plane probably."

"He should've called me, too," JC complained, not wanting to get up. He'd been promised they wouldn't start until half past seven. Also, the thought of spending a whole day alone with Joey in a car didn't sound too appealing to him at the moment.

"He said he did." Joey glanced at his watch. "About an hour ago."

Now that Joey said it, JC remembered it, too. He'd mumbled a few sleepy Hm's into the phone and dropped it instead of putting it on the nightstand when Justin had hung up. He shifted to peek over the edge of the bed, and sure enough there it was, lying on the carpet. With a sigh, JC rolled back to the middle of the bed.

"C'mon, Chasez," Joey picked the phone up, "you can sleep in the car. You packed your stuff?"

JC finally peeled the sheets off himself, sitting up. "By the door," he said, pointing at the bag sitting there.

Joey went over and slung it over his shoulder. "Don't take too long," he said to JC, who was padding toward the bathroom. "I'll be downstairs."

JC nodded and pulled the bathroom door shut.

Half an hour later, JC was showered, dressed and tucked into the passenger seat of Joey's SUV. Joey had taken a couch pillow with him, which JC stuffed between his head and the window. He was snoring softly before they had even left Orlando.

***

 

**8:19**

 

JC yawned and grunted, "What timezit?"

"And good morning to you, too," Joey said cheerfully, glancing over. "It's twenty past eight."

JC wiped his mouth, looking out of the window at the small lakes, trees and occasional palm zooming by. Some trees had already lost their leaves, most were turning yellow and brown; only the evergreens stayed... well, green. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere around Leesburg." With one hand, Joey reached behind himself over the seat to pull his bag on the backseat a little closer. "There should be a thermos in there, I made coffee while you were getting ready."

"I'll get it," JC said, unbuckling his seatbelt, and Joey pulled his hand back. JC twisted through the gap between the two front seats to root around inside the bag until he found the silver bottle. He slid back into his seat. A bittersweet smell filled the car when JC unscrewed the bottle and poured some coffee into the small steel cup. "You want some, too?"

"No, thanks," Joey declined. "I already had two cups this morning."

JC shrugged and blew away the steam, then took a cautious sip. The coffee was still hot, so hot in fact that it almost burned JC's tongue, but it felt good running down his throat and warming his whole neck. Joey had put just the right amount of milk and sugar in it, although JC took about twice as much sugar as anybody else. JC put the cup in his cupholder, buckling himself back in and getting comfortable. He stretched his feet out on floor. He pulled the pillow behind his head, then, after a few seconds, decided it was too uncomfortable and pushed it back between his elbow and the door.

Joey looked over at him, half amused, and a stitch worried. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sure." JC rubbed his eyes. "Just let me wake up." He sipped at his coffee again. "Don't you have, like, any music here?"

"Sure. Pick something. There's more in the glove compartment," Joey added while JC was already rifling through the center console.

Joey's CDs consisted mainly of musicals, but JC'd been in Joey's car often enough, and he'd rather spend the whole ride in silence than listen to Memories ever again. So JC opened the glove compartment and pushed aside one of Brianna's old teething rings, a map of Florida that Joey insisted he didn't need and several pens to pull out the first case his fingers touched. It was a burnt CD, labeled Road music in Lance's careful handwriting. "What's this?" JC held it up.

"Oh, I didn't know I put it there," Joey said. "Lance made it. Road tripping music. Put it in."

JC slid the CD into the player, and Joey started humming to the first few beats. "Well if you ever plan to motor west, just take my way that's the highway, that's the best," Joey sang, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. After a minute of silently watching, JC joined in, too.

***

 

**8:44**

 

"Now that's enough." JC stopped the fourth repetition of On the Road Again and skipped forward to find something different, snorting when the next song was the same again. "How often did Lance put it on there anyway?"

Joey laughed. "This CD is, like, so old, I guess he was still figuring out how his laptop worked when he made it."

"Or he really likes Willie Nelson."

***

 

**10:13**

 

"And we would, like, fight over the stupidest things, like who saw that red car first, 'cause you got to pinch someone else if you saw a red car. And my mom, she was like, 'If you make Janine cry one more time, I swear I'll leave you both here, and you can walk to Grandma.'" Joey laughed. "Once she made Dad stop in the middle of the road. Steve was so scared she would throw him out. He wet his pants, man."

"No," gasped JC, "he didn't."

"You bet your ass he did. 'Course he didn't say it , and he spent the rest of the drive trying to dry the jeans by fanning the stain with his hand so Mom wouldn't notice."

"God, Joey, stop," JC wheezed, holding his belly. He was afraid he'd puke if Joey continued his anecdotes about the Fatones' road trips. The fact that he could picture them quite vividly, didn't help a bit. Breakfast, in a small restaurant called Sheila's, had been good, and he wanted to keep it.

"What," Joey grinned over at him, "you and Tyler never argued about who had to sit in the middle?"

"No," JC said, slowly getting his breath back. "that was usually Heather, she was the smallest. We didn't make long trips anyway."

"No?" Joey said. "You missed out on some essential part of your childhood, man. Nothing better than to be cramped into the backseat with your brother and sister and to annoy your parents by asking how far it is still."

JC shrugged. "We did make trips. Just not very far away. Every second month or so, Mom would pack this huge basket, and we would just drive somewhere and have a picnic. With, you know, everything you have for picnic. Mom made meat balls, and there was cold chicken, and potato salad, and sandwiches. We would go to some lake, sit on a blanket, or, if it was raining, we would just stay in the car, but it was still comfortable."

"That sounds nice" Joey said softly.

"It was," JC agreed, smiling at the memory.

"I'll ask Lance if he knows how to make potato salad."

***

 

**10:44**

 

"In March of 1937 a government surveyor, Oliver Chalifeaux, discovered where a fallen tree had exposed a new cavern. When he crawled into this room, he discovered the beautiful formations of what is now the present Florida Caverns Tour Cave," JC read from the leaflet he was holding.

"We're not going there, C," Joey grunted.

"After this discovery, the Civilian Conservation Corps installed an additional company - Company 1445 - at this site and continued the excavation and development of the tour cave until 1942. The tour cave, covering an area of nearly two acres of the park, has been open for public enjoyment since 1942," JC continued.

"We're not going there," Joey repeated. "We don't have time. Lance expects us to be at his house before midnight, and terrible things will happen if we aren't and wake him up at three. Terrible. Things."

"We don't have to stay there long."

"JC, I know you. Once you're in there, you'll want to hug each stalactite -"

"Stalactites? Aren't those the ones which grow from the ceiling?" JC interjected.

"Whatever. And you'll want to test out the acoustics and rant about how we'll have to record our next album in a cavern, and then you'll want to see each little cave, and you'll want to find that stala...something that looks like Cinderella's castle again. Just, no, JC. Forget it."

JC frowned, but he wasn't giving up yet. "Look, this guy here says that the caverns tour has been excellent. 'The ranger that conducted the tour was knowledgeable and friendly,'" he quoted from the leaflet again.

"JC!"

"It's only $3.25 per carload," JC said quickly, in a last attempt to change Joey's mind.

"Fine," Joey eventually yielded to JC's puppy eyes. "We can go there on the way home."

***

 

**11:18**

 

Joey flipped his cell phone open. "Hi Chris...Yeah. What?... No, I'm not driving while I'm talking to you. Jeez, Kirkpatrick. JC is... Uh hu. No, I can't give him to you, he's driving. Believe me, once in a while. Look, why didn't you call him, if you're so afraid- Ah, I see." Joey glanced over at JC, who looked back guiltily. He could imagine why Chris had called Joey instead of him. JC's cell phone lay on top of his dresser, back home in Orlando.

"How are you?" Joey continued. "Sure we- Eww, Chris, not into the phone! That sounds disgusting. I can imagine it well enough without the sound effects, thank you. How's Justin?... Oh, is he. That's awfully nice of him..." Joey laughed. "Ah, so that's why. That sure sounds like Justin. Put him on..." Joey covered the mouthpiece with his free hand while Chris shouted loudly for Justin. "Justin's trying to trick him into taking the plane by being nice to him. He's feeding him chicken noodle soup," he said to JC. Then he dropped his hand quickly and spoke into the phone again. "Hey, J... You know that Chris hates flying, right?"

"But he wants to drive!" Even through the phone, JC could hear Justin whining. Justin had been the least enthusiastic about their trip and done everything to convince the others not to put four people into a car to Brandon. JC wished Justin had come with them. At least his constant complaining would've kept JC from thinking about Joey. Unintentionally, JC touched his mouth.

"- put those drugs into his soup," Joey told Justin. "The ones he always takes for flying; what are they called?... Yeah, those."

It had been exactly a week ago, JC thought. He pulled his fingers from his mouth and set the blinker to overtake a truck.

"No, we're not even in Tallahassee yet," Joey said.

Maybe Joey had already forgotten it. He sure acted like he had.

"Yeah, we'll call you when we're there, Dad... Bye, J." Joey hung up and shut the phone.

Wasn't that what JC had wanted, however, to forget it? Hadn't he been the one who told Joey to best ignore it, and wasn't he saying to himself over and over again that it didn't mean anything? That it was nothing special, he kissed people all the time.

Only usually, he didn't do it like that. Not with his head tipped back against the wall, with his eyes closed and with his tongue in the other one's mouth. And never with Joey's beard scratching his chin.

"C?" Joey asked tentatively. JC looked over, and Joey had that line creasing his brow that he always got when he worried for his friends. JC thought it had formed around the time when Lance had broken down. "Are you alright?"

JC suddenly realized he had become so stiff that his back didn't even touch the seat anymore. His fingers, gripping the steering wheel like vices, were hurting. Slowly, he untensed. "Yes," he said. "Yes."

Joey, of course, didn't believe him a bit; and he knew what was up, too. "Look, JC," he began quietly, "I don't-"

"No, Joey," JC interrupted him, staring sternly at the road ahead, as if it wasn't going all straight and unexpected bends could turn up anytime. "I don't really want to talk about it right now." With a sigh of reluctance, Joey closed his mouth, turning to look out of his own window.

After a while, Joey broke the uncomfortable silence that had settled over the car despite the radio playing one cheery song after the other. "We could have lunch in Tallahassee, what do you say? I discovered a nice restaurant last time I drove through, and I think I can find it again."

JC cleared his throat, releasing a breath that he had been holding since Joey had turned away. If Joey had changed the subject, he wasn't likely to bring the kiss up again anytime soon. "Okay."

***

 

**12:05**

 

"Why don't you just give it up, Joey." JC rubbed his temple. "We've been searching for it for half an hour now."

"A quarter, at most," Joey contradicted, bending low over the dashboard to look past JC at the left side of the street. "Turn left at the light there."

JC glanced into the rear mirror and changed to the left lane, stopping at the red light. "You can't even remember what it's called. How are we supposed to find it?"

"I'll recognize it when I see it. And it must be somewhere around here." The lights went green, and JC turned into a smaller side-street. "Ha!" shouted Joey, pointing at a three-story building with blue, rolled-up awnings above the first-floor windows. JC found a space to park right at the curb in front of the restaurant and turned off the engine.

"I told you we'd find it," Joey said, cuffing JC's shoulder. He undid his seatbelt and opened the door, ready to step out of the car. "It looks just like the last time I've been here. It looks... It looks..."

"Closed," JC finished for him, deadpan. "The word you're looking for is closed, Joey." JC sighed. Joey closed the door again, dropping his hands down into his lap. "What did you eat when you were here last time?"

"Um. Dinner?"

JC rolled his eyes. "It never occurred to you that they might not serve lunch?"

Joey looked sheepish. "You know, we passed a Taco Bell a little earlier..."

JC simply started the engine.

They didn't go inside, and the guy at the drive-in, a semi-bald man named Sid, who could've been JC's father, didn't bat an eyelash to show if he recognized them - probably not - when JC rolled down the window to take the two paper bags and the two cups tucked into a cardboard tray.

They ate inside the car in the mostly empty parking-lot, JC holding his taco with both hands.

"See," Joey said, licking salsa off his fingers. "You just have to imagine it's raining, and it's just like one of your picnics."

"Shut up," JC said, but he smiled.

***

 

**13:20**

 

When they passed the exit to Marianna, JC pressed his nose against the window, moaning loudly.

"Oh, would you stop it," Joey pulled at JC's shoulder until JC fell back into his seat, giggling. "I told you we'd go there on the way home."

"Promise?" JC held up his left hand solemnly, pinky finger crooked.

"Promise," Joey said and sighed deeply, not even looking as he hooked his finger with JC's.

***

 

**15:53**

 

Since the very first tour, they had learned to be able to sleep in moving vehicles. While Justin still needed his sound relaxer sometimes, JC had mastered the art to a perfection. So it wasn't unusual that he closed his eyes for a second somewhere between Bonifay and De Funiak Springs and opened them again in the middle of the Escambia Bay Bridge.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty," Joey said.

JC wiped his eyes. "More like Princess and the Pea." He reached under himself and pulled out a crumpled Snickers wrapping. Joey had insisted that a road trip was the perfect opportunity to eat as much unhealthy stuff as possible. He had brought a whole bag of chocolate from the last gas stop, where he'd had to go inside because they couldn't find any station where they could pay at the pump. The cashier had made Joey sign three autographs for his kids before he'd let him pay.

Looking at the empty wrapping, JC decided he was a little hungry and reached into the bag. He found a granola bar that tasted quite good, despite being a bit tough.

"What's that bridge for?" JC asked, struggling with the honey that tried to glue his jaws together. He pointed out of his window.

"That's for the train, I think," Joey answered, switching lanes to overtake an elderly woman in her red Ford.

JC shuddered. "I wouldn't want to go over it. It looks pretty... fragile to me."

They neared the end of the bridge, passing signs for the exit for U.S. 90, and JC suddenly sat up straight. "Can we go along the bay?"

"What?" Joey looked over incredulously. "No; I'm not going through the whole city without even knowing how-"

"No, no," JC said quickly. "I saw it on the map earlier." He pulled out the map of Florida that he had found in Joey's glove compartment and touched a finger to a plan of Pensacola on the back. "You can drive along the bay, and then go up here," JC followed the streets with his finger, "and get back on the Interstate. Please. I know we don't have time to stop here, but at least this. Pretty please?" he added.

Finally, Joey relented; to the prospect of finding a store to buy something to drink. There was still coffee left, and it was still hot, but JC needed something else. Something cold and with less caffeine. Or at least he could pretend that Coke had less caffeine than coffee.

JC unbuckled himself and clambered onto the backseat behind Joey for a better view of the bay, almost catching Joey in the eye with his right hand.

"Hey, watch it," Joey said, putting one hand to JC's waist to steady him. JC imagined him squeezing lightly.

"Sorry," JC muttered, falling into the backseat and trying very hard not to blush.

***

 

**16:28**

 

This time, when Joey's phone rang, he dug it out of his pocket and dumped it into JC's lap. JC flipped it open. "Hi, Lance."

"Hey." Lance's smooth voice sounded even deeper over the phone. "I'm waiting for y'all. When are y'gonna be here?" Lance's accent always thickened when he was at home. A couple of days in Mississippi, JC thought, and Lance's pronunciation was reduced to a southern drawl.

"Dunno. How long is it from Pensacola to you?"

"About five hours." Lance laughed. "You're in Pensacola only? Dude, what have you done?"

"Um. Lunch in Tallahassee. And, like, two breaks. Oh, and we drove along Pensacola Bay. But Joey wouldn't allow me to see the Florida Caverns."

"I see." Lance laughed again. "So I guess you're okay." Lance stopped laughing, turning serious. "Have you talked to Joey?"

"No," JC said.

Lance sighed. "Give him to me."

"No," JC said.

"JC," Lance huffed, "you can't do that."

"I know."

"You can't just kiss him and then leave and never mention it again."

JC bit his lip. He wanted to say Excuse me, it was me against the wall, or Well, if you hadn't caught us, maybe he wouldn't have all but jumped away from me, both of which he couldn't say with Joey sitting right next to him. "It's what I want, Lance."

Lance didn't answer for a while. "How often, since you got into that car, have you thought about leaning over and doing it again, JC?" he asked then, softly. "Justin said you two are all alone; you won't get a better opportunity. You need to sort this out. I know you, Jayce; if you don't know where you stand you will waste a long time pining and hoping. Like with-"

"Lance, please," JC pleaded. The last thing he wanted to discuss were his failed relationship attempts.

"Alright," Lance gave in, "I admit that it's no fair argument if you can't defend yourself. But please, at least think about it, okay?"

"Okay," JC said, making a face that Lance couldn't see. As if he wasn't already thinking about it the whole time.

Lance sighed again, mixed with laughter. "You are something else, JC. You won't listen to a single thing I told you, will you?"

Even JC had to smile at that. "Lance, you know I always take your advice to heart."

"Right," Lance snorted. "I won't even go into detail with all the fashion disasters when you wouldn't take my advice. Tell Joey hello from me?"

"Sure thing."

"Or give him a kiss from me."

"Lance!"

"Sorry." Lance giggled. "Love you. Bye."

"Yeah, me too." JC shut the phone and held it out to Joey, who took it and slipped it back into his pocket. "Lance says hi."

Joey must have guessed what JC and Lance had been talking about, but he didn't say anything, and JC was grateful for that. So grateful, in fact, that he offered to drive for a while; and besides, Joey looked tired.

They changed at the next rest stop, and Joey propped his head on JC's couch pillow, closing his eyes. When JC crossed the Perdido River into Alabama, Joey was already sleeping.

***

 

**17:33**

 

The sun was setting slowly as JC drove over the Mobile Bayway, the water glistening under its rays, the shadows getting longer. The twin bridges stood on massive concrete pillars that rose from the shallow water and the small islands like they had been dropped from above. It had to be even nicer to drive here in the night, with the lights of the cars and the streetlamps reflecting in the water.

In Mobile, JC left the Interstate, heading north. At a red light, he looked over at Joey's sleeping form, and, after two minutes, found himself unable to take his gaze away.

Joey's eyelids were fluttering; apart from that, however, his face was perfectly calm. Joey was always relaxed in his sleep. Even in the midst of the most stressful days of the tour, Joey slept like a baby. Back when they had had to share rooms, and sometimes even a bed, JC had always hoped for Joey because he didn't kick like Justin or have nightmares like Chris.

Following an impulse, JC suddenly leaned over and gently kissed Joey's temple. He jerked back when the car behind him honked and saw that the light had turned green, stepping on the gas pedal sheepishly.

Joey woke up. "Huh?"

JC prayed he hadn't noticed anything.

"Where are we?" Joey asked, his voice rough from sleep. He licked his lips.

"Mobile," JC answered. "You can go back to sleep. If you want."

"Mmhm. Sing me something," Joey said.

"What?"

"C'mon. You used to sing all the time when we were on the road. Sing me a lullaby." And this time it was Joey who turned half-lidded brown eyes on JC, and JC melted like an ice-cube in the sun.

" I come from down in the valley, where mister when you’re young," JC began, and Joey closed his eyes, smiling, "They bring you up to do like your daddy done." JC sang him The River and other Bruce Springsteen stuff until Joey fell asleep, and then some.

***

**18:25**

 

The first thing Joey did when he woke up shortly after the Mississippi border was demand a peeing break.

While Joey jogged to the restrooms, JC climbed out of the car, stretching and walking around. He was a little sore from sitting for so long, and his stomach rumbled. He'd suggest they find some place to have dinner when Joey came back.

There was a field behind the parking lot, separated by a strip of grass and a group of trees. As far as JC's eyes could see in the early evening light, small shrubs were growing from the ground, each covered in tufts of white. JC crouched down and plucked one of them from its burst capsule, holding it against his cheek. It was soft against his skin, like a gentle caress.

JC picked at it, and several white threads came loose under his fingers, thinner than angel's hair. He stood up, still holding it in his cupped palm, stilling when a hand came down on his shoulder.

"Cotton," Joey said. "They're late with the harvest."

JC turned around, nodding. "Here," he said, taking Joey's hand and letting the cotton ball fall into it.

Joey twisted it between his fingers. "It's soft."

"Yes," JC breathed. Forgive me, Lance, he thought as he stepped closer, pressing his lips against Joey's.

JC had his eyes tightly closed while he kissed Joey, afraid of what he might see in Joey's eyes if he opened them. Joey didn't move, didn't do anything, but his mouth had already been open, so JC flicked his tongue lightly inside, brushing a hand against Joey's side. Joey put one hand on JC's shoulder, even as his lips were barely moving under JC's. JC could feel the cotton against the back of his hand that rested at Joey's waist as Joey closed his other hand around JC's wrist.

At last, JC understood that Joey was holding him at distance, and he drew away, stepping back. "Sorry," he muttered.

"JC," Joey said, helplessly.

"I'm sorry," JC said again, his eyes slowly filling with tears. He feared they would spill over if he looked at Joey any longer, so he turned around, shaking off the warm hand that was still holding his arm, and practically ran back to the car. Only when he was inside, curled into the passenger seat, did he notice that he was trembling. He grabbed the pillow and hugged it to his chest.

Joey didn't come back for a long time.

***

 

**19:41**

 

Shortly before they reached Hattiesburg, Joey pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant that promised them warm meals 24 hours.

"Are you hungry?"

JC just shrugged, getting out of the car. He'd spent the last hour staring out of his window, and at least the empty feeling in his stomach had kept him occupied.

There were more cars in the parking lot than at the other places they had stopped at so far, which increased the probability that somebody would recognize them. Joey pulled two baseball caps from his bag, tossing one to JC over the roof of the car. JC put it on, hoping it was enough disguise. He wasn't in the mood to smile at any fans tonight.

Their waitress was a sturdy woman in her early forties with black hair pulled back into a tight bun. Her name-tag read Annie. JC wondered if that was her real name. It was so... cliché. The waitresses in roadside diners were always called Annie or Mandy or Patty.

JC realized he had been staring at Annie, who had been staring back. Quickly, he ducked his head.

"Can I have a large 7-Up, please, and..." Joey said from the other side of the table, causing her to turn around and look at him.

"Large 7-Up," she repeated, scribbling on her notepad.

JC had a Diet Coke and chose something from the menu that he had forgotten as soon as Annie had shuffled away.

Joey leaned over the table. "Do you see that woman over there, with the blue shirt and the white jacket hanging over the chair? No, don't look over now. She's been watching us since we came through the door. I bet she's wondering where she knows us from."

JC glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked fidgety, ready to jump up and come over any time. JC could tell she wasn't a real fan; those would have been at their table in an instant. Probably Joey was right.

"JC," Joey said quietly, drawing JC's attention back to him, "I know that you don't want to talk about it; and I guess, since you are a stubborn fuck, I have to go with that. But please, don't ignore me. I don't want us to sit here for half an hour not talking to each other. Okay?"

"Okay," JC said. He still didn't look at Joey, but he felt relieved.

While they were waiting for their order, Joey talked about food, at home, on tour, and about the one time Lance had almost set the bus kitchen on fire, until JC told him to stop or he'd burst with hunger.

Their food arrived a good ten minutes later. JC remembered having ordered meat balls with rice; Joey got his burger. Joey paid as soon as they were finished, as they wanted to get back on the road, leaving Annie a gracious tip. When JC wanted to stand up, however, the woman in the blue shirt suddenly stood at their table.

"Hi, um." Her face was red up to the tips of her ears. "I think I. Um. I have seen you on TV. You're from that group, right?"

"Why, yes, we are." Joey smiled, already using his charm. He couldn't have any idea which TV appearance she was referring to, or if she didn't in fact confuse them with the Backstreet Boys. "Two fifths of NSync."

"I, maybe. Would you give me an autograph?"

"Sure, ma'am," Joey said. "What's your name?"

"Kathleen." She thrust a slip of paper at him, surely ripped from on of the waitresses' notepads as it had the name of the restaurant printed in the corner.

Joey took the paper and the pen she gave him, bending back over the table. JC watched him write, _For Kathleen. Always stay on your road. Lance Bass._ JC arched his eyebrows. Joey simply grinned and held out the pen. JC took it slowly, looking at the paper. Eventually, he bent down and scrawled, _Love, Chris K._

"There you go." Joey handed the paper to Kathleen with a flourish.

"T-thank you," she stammered.

"You're welcome." Joey laid a hand on JC's arm. "Chris and I have to go now; we're visiting a friend. Have a nice evening." Joey smiled at her again and pulled JC out of the door.

***

 

**20:34 pm**

 

Mississippi in the dark was kind of boring. Not that trees and fields were interesting to begin with, but JC couldn't even see anything other than the road.

Joey was dozing beside him. Every once in a while his head would drop down to his chest, sliding along the window, and he came awake. Eventually, he pulled himself together and sat up straight, smacking his lips. "Do we have any chocolate left?"

"Oh, yes," JC said in a slightly mocking tone, shifting in his seat so his ass wouldn't fall asleep. "You bought enough to last for Lance's children-"

"Lance doesn't have any children."

"- in a few years."

Joey grabbed the plastic bag from the backseat and opened a pack of M&M's. "We could guess colors." He held up a gray one and another gray one, then popped both into his mouth, crunching them.

"How do you want to control if you're right?" JC asked. "And besides, they all taste the same."

"No, they don't."

"Sure they do. There's the same stuff in every color. Peanut, chocolate, coloring and sugar. Except when you get a rotten peanut. Then it tastes just nasty."

"But it depends on what they put into the coloring," Joey insisted. "For green, for example, they use apples, and for red it's cranberry or something."

"And what about blue?" JC pushed.

"Blueberry," Joey explained instantly.

JC snorted. "No blueberry looks like a blue M&M. It's all chemical."

"No, it's not."

"Is too."

"Is not. I'll prove it to you." Joey clicked on the interior light. With his eyes closed, he fished out an M&M, holding it up for JC to see, and put it in his mouth. After he had sucked on it for a few seconds, he decided, "Yellow."

"Coincidence," JC said.

Joey took another one, repeating the procedure. "Green."

"Meep," JC said. "This one was yellow, too."

"Okay, you try. close your eyes."

"Joey, I'm driving."

"Fine," Joey gave in. "Then don't look."

JC opened his mouth, and Joey pushed the M&M in. JC rolled it around his mouth with his tongue, chewed it and swallowed. "Brown."

"Uh, no."

"No?"

"No. Red. We definitely need to practice."

***

 

**21:19**

 

"I'm furnishing my tour bus, and I take... weights, a Barbara Streisand calendar... a tanning bed, my favorite pillow... a flashlight... a waterbed, five seasons of Buffy on DVD, a transportable studio... a Star Wars poster and..." JC grinned, "a Barbie doll house."

"What do you-" Joey began. "No, don't say. So, I'm furnishing my tour bus, and I take... weights... a Barbara Streisand calendar, a tanning bed, your favorite pillow... a flashlight, a waterbed, five seasons of Buffy on DVD... a transportable studio and a Barbie doll house."

"Wrong."

"What?"

"You forgot your Star Wars poster."

"Shit," Joey groaned.

"You're awfully bad at this, Joey."

"I know."

"You lost three times in a row. That means you're driving the rest of the way."

"I know."

"That was barely ten things," JC couldn't help to tease.

"Rub it in, why don't you," Joey muttered.

***

 

**22:03**

 

Joey stopped the car under the light of a street lamp, turning the engine off.

"Um, this isn't- Lance's house is at the end of the street, Joey," JC reminded him.

"I can't do this, JC," Joey said quietly, and JC's heart dropped about four miles into his stomach. Joey didn't look at him but straight ahead, fingers clenched around the steering wheel. "I've been waiting for the whole day for you to say something, to tell me this is not the way I think it is."

JC wanted to ask how Joey did think it was but remained silent, afraid of the answer.

"I mean, it's not that I'm glad that Chris got sick," Joey went on, "but I thought, well, maybe we'd have a chance to talk now, you know."

JC still didn't say anything. If he got out of the car now, would he be able to run to Lance's house where he was safe? Joey would probably catch him before JC reached it. And besides, it would be a childish thing to do.

"I keep thinking about that time when Lance and I broke up and you rode on the bus with me. How you took care of me; how you cooked for me when I wasn't even in the mood to get up and eat, and how you comforted me when I thought maybe I wouldn't get my friend back. And now you're doing the same thing again, only more, and I can't help thinking that you only kiss me because Kelly has left me."

JC felt like somebody had suddenly punched him in the gut. Joey thought-

"Jayce, please, talk to me." Joey was shaking, and he was looking directly at JC now. It seemed to take all of Joey's control to keep his voice even.

"Joey, it's not what you-" JC said slowly, in a voice so soft he could barely hear himself. "I mean, I am sorry that Kelly left you, but that's not why-" He took a deep breath, not daring to look Joey in the eye; instead he gazed at the sidewalk through the windshield. "I think I fell in love with you." JC held his breath.

Joey didn't respond to that for quite a while. Outside, a man passed the car, glancing quickly inside and strolling on. JC tried to blend in with his seat.

"When?" Joey asked finally.

JC shrugged. "I don't know. When we shared the bus; maybe a little after, maybe before. I just know that it's what I'm feeling fight now." He bit his lip, dreading Joey's reaction.

Joey sighed loudly and took his seatbelt off. "Come here." When JC hesitated, he repeated, "Come here. I don't bite."

JC slowly unbuckled himself. As soon as he was free, Joey tugged him in with both arms. "You are such an idiot," he mumbled into JC's shoulder. He pulled back, searching JC's eyes. "Though I fear I'm an even bigger moron. I'm sorry that I thought you were just pitying me."

"Oh, Joey." JC smiled, putting a hand on Joey's cheek.

"I have something for you," Joey pulled a white ball out of his pocket and handed it to JC. The cotton JC had given him earlier, in the field. It was a little squashed. "I was sure it had been our last kiss, and I wanted to have a reminder of it."

JC cradled the ball in his fingers. "And now you don't think that anym-" He didn't get any further because Joey's mouth covered his own.

It wasn't like their first kiss, wild and uncontrolled as if they couldn't get enough of each other. It wasn't like the second one, either, soft and hesitant. It was just a kiss, and in so many ways it was more. And, JC thought, as Joey's tongue was coaxing JC's deeper into Joey's mouth, Joey's fingers tangling in JC's hair, pulling him closer, it would definitely not be the last.

***

 

**22:27**

 

Joey parked the car in Lance's driveway, and they both climbed out, JC reaching for Joey. The external light came on, a dog started to bark inside. Several windows were illuminated, and when they came nearer the front door opened.

Lance stood in the doorway, hands on his hips, staring pointedly at their linked hands. "Took you quite some time," he called.

Joey laughed. "It's a long way."

JC squeezed Joey's fingers, and they walked up to the door hand in hand.

 

 

End.


End file.
